The Accursed (1960)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The cursed |
| Original title | House of Usher |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 79 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Roger Corman |
| script | Richard Matheson |
| production |
Roger Corman , James H. Nicholson, Samuel Z. Arkoff |
| music | Les Baxter |
| camera | Floyd Crosby |
| occupation | |
| |
The Cursed (Original Title: House of Usher ) is an American horror film from American International Pictures from 1960 . It was directed by Roger Corman , with Vincent Price and Mark Damon in the lead roles . Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay in the style of a chamber play - a total of only four actors appear (not counting extras) - based on the story Der Untergang des Haus Usher by Edgar Allan Poe . The eerie paintings that can be seen in the ancestral gallery of the protagonist Roderick Usher, who is tormented by fears and delusions, were created by Burt Shonberg .
action
Philip Winthrop travels to the Usher family home, an abandoned mansion surrounded by a murky swamp, to meet his fiancée Madeline Usher. Madeline's brother Roderick defies Philip's intentions and tells the young man that the Usher family is haunted by a cursed bloodline that drove all of their ancestors insane. Roderick believes that marrying Madeline would carry the family's evils into future generations. He vehemently discourages his sister from entering into a relationship with a man. Philip becomes more and more desperate and persuades Madeline to go with him and leave her parents' house.
During an argument with her brother, Madeline dies suddenly and is laid to rest in the family crypt under the house. As Philip prepares to go to the burial, the butler Bristol realizes that Madeline is not dead, just has catalepsy that makes her appear dead.
Philip opens Madeline's coffin and finds it empty. Desperately he searches for her in the winding passages of the crypt, but she eludes him and contacts her brother. Now Madeline is completely insane and is taking revenge on the brother who knowingly wanted her buried alive. Both die when a fire breaks out, ending the Usher bloodline. Philip escapes and watches the burning house sink into the swampy land that surrounds it.
background
The film was shot in two weeks on a budget of $ 350,000. The plot of the film differed considerably from Poe's original. The main focus was on the decoration, color and drama dramaturgy, less on the plot.
The film was the prelude to a whole series of film adaptations based on motifs by Edgar Allan Poe by Roger Corman and made Vincent Price, previously known in America, an international star.
reception
Kino.de assessed: "Although the plot has little to do with the original, the ominous atmosphere that Poe had in mind can be felt every second."
In 2005 the film was entered into the National Film Registry .
literature
- Robert Zion: Roger Corman. The rebellion of the immediate . 320 pp., Norderstedt 2018, ISBN 978-3-7481-0101-7 . Pp. 133-141.
Web links
- The cursed in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Review and original pictures
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Review on kino.de
- ↑ Frankfurter Rundschau ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
